Our Bojagi: Bojagi Artworks from Claire Lilienthal School

Bojagi is a general term for all wrapping cloths in Korea. By sewing together small, leftover cloths of various shapes and skillfully juxtaposing vibrant colors, the unknown makers of traditional bojagi created exciting, strikingly contemporary designs. Students in the Korean immersion program at Claire Lilienthal School create bojagi as one of their cultural activities working with local textile artist Youngmin Lee. Some students have been making bojagi for several years, preserving and transferring their teacher’s knowledge of the traditional techniques and familiar forms as shown in this exhibition.

Claire Lilienthal K-8 Alternative School inspires each student to achieve their maximum potential in an academically, culturally, and socially inclusive environment. The school hosts Northern California’s only public school Korean language immersion program. Welcoming both native Korean speaking students as well as English speakers, the Korean Immersion Program (KIP) seeks to achieve full bilingualism and biliteracy in Korean and English. KIP teachers, all bilingual, provide KIP students with the same academic content instruction as that provided General Education students, but do so in both languages consistent with the proven dual-path language immersion model. KIP is a K-5 Korean/English Two-Way Immersion educational program designed to help students develop the ability to speak, read and write in two languages at the same time. Along with proven academic and cognitive benefits, developing bilingual skills enriches a child’s lived experience by exposing them to different cultures early in life.

Co-presented by the Oakland Asian Cultural Center and Claire Lilienthal School.